A Learning Experience
by jbn42
Summary: It's nice that Nathaniel trusts her with training them how to survive here, but sometimes the newbies feel like they're more trouble than they're worth.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences. And since Malcolm was supposed to have arrived on the fifth as well, he gets to come along for the ride. And Reilly too, just because I like her.

I'm not 100% sure where this is going, but I'm sure there will be running/jumping/shooting and general saving of the day…

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

The beeping of an alarm pierces Alicia's dream, a very nice dream involving a bubble bath and a certain silver-haired commander, and she grumbles as she whacks the clock off of the nightstand. It stops beeping when it hits the floor, something she takes as a sign from above that she can go back to sleep. She burrows into her pillows, and in seconds she is asleep again.

She has no idea how much time has passed when she is rudely awakened again, this time by a weight dropping onto her bed. She squeaks in surprise, immediately pulling the pulse pistol from under her pillows, swinging around and powering it up in one smooth motion. Almost as if her reaction was expected, a strong hand encircles her wrist, squeezing hard enough to make her loosen her grip on the gun, which falls harmlessly to the bed. "Easy there, Alicia."

As she recognizes the sound of Nathaniel's gruff voice, Alicia finally realizes that he is the intruder sitting on the edge of her bed. "Damn it, Nathaniel, I might've shot you."

He just chuckles at that, releasing her. "Why do you think I was ready and grabbed your wrist?"

She huffs and picks up her gun, powering it down and slipping it back under her pillows. She turns away from him, snuggling back down. "Why are you here?"

"I knew you wouldn't get up in time if I didn't come over. You never do. I need to just start sleeping here on the nights before you take the advanced survival training group OTG." He reaches over and tousles her hair, making her flail blindly at him.

"Crap." Her voice is muffled by her pillows. "What time is it?"

He continues to play with her hair. "Four forty-five. I know you probably set your alarm for four thirty, so you're not that far behind schedule."

She can almost hear the smirk in his voice. She shrugs away, getting up and turning back to look at him. His eyes are sweeping over her, taking in her sleep shorts and tight tank top.

She crosses her arms over her chest. "You know, if you hadn't sounded so damned smug just now, I might've invited you into the shower with me." She gives him an evil grin, and then she strips off her tank top, making his eyes widen. "Now, if you try to come in there with me, I'll have to remind you just how dirty I fight."

She turns and heads for her bathroom, highly amused when she hears him stand to follow her. He hesitates, and then he mutters, "Shit," and she hears him flop back down on her bed.

She emerges, damp hair up in a ponytail, about fifteen minutes later. She stops in her room to finish dressing, and she puts on her thigh holster as she enters the kitchen. He's sitting at her table reading a plex and drinking a cup of coffee. There's another cup next to her coffeemaker, ready to be poured. She gets hers and grabs a piece of fruit from her refrigerator before joining him at the table. "What're you reading?"

He snorts. "Yet another message from Doctor Wallace complaining about this training run today. He really doesn't want to go."

She rolls her eyes. "I assume that you reminded him that if he wants to be allowed to take a rover OTG, a privilege he specifically requested, that he has to take this training?"

"I did. He's still bitching about it. You're taking that new kid Reynolds too, aren't you?"

She nods and takes a sip of her coffee. "Yes, and Laura Reilly. She didn't take this training when she first got here, and she came to realize that she was going to spend a lot of time on fence duty without it. When the new pilgrimage was due, she sought me out to ask if she could join us on this training run, as she wants to OTG qualify." Alicia refers to their rule that no one can have any leadership role in an OTG mission, whether military or science, without advanced survival training.

"She seems like a solid kid." He puts his plex down on the table.

"She is. I also noticed in her jacket that she had some basic medic training back in the future. I'm going to ask her if she wants to join our field medic program. We could use a few more trained people in the OTG lineup."

He nods his approval. "So long as you're always there to sew me up, that's sounds good."

She smiles and shakes her head. Standing up, she walks over to him, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "If I'm there, fine. If I'm not, let her sew you up, OK? I really hate it when you come back all bloody. It makes an awful mess."

He laughs. "Yes ma'am." He sobers then. "Doctor Wallace may end up being a pain in your ass on this trip. You're taking two rovers, correct? You and the three trainees, plus a second one of just military, including Guz?"

She furrows her brow. "Of course. Didn't you read my mission summary?"

He stands up and hugs her to him. "I did. I was just being over-protective. I'm sorry. I just worry when you're out there without me."

She hugs him back. "I'll be fine, Nathaniel. We're just doing the course around Outpost Four. I'm sure Doctor Wallace will love the parts with the rappelling and jumping in the water fully-dressed."

"If he gives you trouble, I want to know about it, Alicia. He was sent here to run the science program including medical, but I won't grant him that authority if he is openly insubordinate or disrespectful. Things are too dangerous here for us to have to add dealing with an attitude to the list." He looks worried.

She leans up and kisses him. "If I don't think he's fit to lead, trust me. You'll know."

"True. If he comes back bruised and bloody, I'll know your opinion." He grins at her, following her as she goes to collect her pack and armor.

She rolls her eyes. "I was thinking more along the lines of a report."

"Poh-tay-toe, poh-tah-toe, Lieutenant. Either works for me." He helps her adjust her armor and shoulders her pack for her, heading for the door.

She snorts, walking out in front of him and looking around to make sure no one is there to see him leave her house. "That's just because you're pissy that he didn't pay rapt attention to your balcony speech." No one is around, so she beckons to him to follow.

She hears her door close, and she heads for the gate with him right behind her. "I don't get pissy." At her incredulous look back over her shoulder, he grumbles, "Well, would it have killed him to pay attention?"

They get to the gate and he puts her pack down next to one of the rovers that is already there waiting for them. No one is close by, so she smiles up at him, laughing softly. "I love you, Nathaniel Taylor."

Reilly and Reynolds show up, approaching the rover, so he just replies, "Me too, Alicia Washington. You be safe today."

"Yes sir." She snaps him a salute that only he will know is smart-assed, and she can see that it's taking all he has not to make a snappy comment back.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone but Doctor Wallace is present. He finally straggles up, ten minutes late, clearly still displeased that he has to be here. Nathaniel steps back to let her handle it and the short reminder briefing before they leave.

"Doctor Wallace, was I unclear with regard to the appointed time to arrive? I'm fairly sure I wasn't, given that everyone else was on time." Her voice is icy, and Reynolds, Reilly and three of the young soldiers who'll be in the other rover shift uncomfortably. Guz and Nathaniel just smirk.

"I had to check some research results. And anyway, it's just a ridiculous one-night training trip." The doctor sneers a little.

"It's a training trip that could save your life, Doctor." She gets right in his face, not as tall as he is but somehow more menacing. "Just because it's short doesn't mean it isn't valuable."

"A little learning is a dangerous thing," he pauses, sneering again, "Alexander Pope said that. He was a poet. I'm sure you've never heard of him."

"Of course I have. _The Rape of the Lock_ is brilliant." At the man's stunned expression, she turns to get into the rover, but then she stops and turns back to him. "And Doctor Wallace, _A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people. _Frederick Douglass said that. If you don't know who he is, look him up in the Eye when we get back. Now stow your pack, get your ass in the back of the rover and lose the attitude. Reilly, you're up front with me."

She looks over and sees Nathaniel and Guz laughing openly. She gives them both a smirk, which softens when Nathaniel meets her eyes. Keeping his eyes on hers, he says, "Be safe, people."

She and Guz both call a "yes sir!" and get behind the wheels of their respective vehicles. A few moments later, they're moving out beyond the fence, heading into the woods on their way to Outpost Four. As she hears Malcolm complaining about the noise, she sighs to herself. It's going to be a long couple of days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences. And since Malcolm was supposed to have arrived on the fifth as well, he gets to come along for the ride. And Reilly too, just because I like her.

So, I'm being a little hard on poor Malcolm. I promise he'll be less of a butthead... : ) Believe it or not, I actually like Malcolm! And next chapter will be the Mark/Wash stuff. Of course, I'm falling back a bit on my favorite little side-theme with Wash, the climbing ability that I've imagined for her.

**Thanks so much to all my lovely reviewers! I try to keep up with replies, but if you don't hear back from me, I truly appreciate the support and commentary!**

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

When they go over a log for the third time, Alicia hears a stream of complaints from the back of the rover again. For the last three hours, every single bump, shift and slide has been met with an avalanche of whining from the back seat, and Alicia has had it. She slaps her comm. "Guz! I'm stopping."

They skid to a stop, and Alicia climbs out of the rover, fuming. Guz climbs out of his own rover, a confused expression on his face. "Wash? Is everything all right?"

Alicia shakes her head, and she eyes the occupants of Guz's rover. "Curran!" she barks, "Change places with Doctor Wallace." She turns to her rover. "Doctor Wallace, move. You're riding with Lieutenant Guzman the rest of the way."

"What? Why?" The scientist sputters as he climbs out, day pack in hand.

Alicia puts her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Because, put simply, you are the whiniest, most atrociously annoying man I've ever met, and three hours of listening to you bitch and moan like a teenage princess is about all I can handle. So it's either switch rovers or I stun you and you go the rest of the way unconscious. You pick." Just to make sure he knows she isn't kidding, she unholsters her stun pistol and powers it up.

The scientist literally scurries to the other rover, and a chuckling Curran climbs in the back of Alicia's with Reynolds. Alicia turns back to Guz. "Sorry, Isaac. You know I rarely pull rank, but I really was about to shoot him. Maybe not on stun."

He tries to look irritated but fails. Instead, he snorts out a laugh. "Understood. If you could handle three hours of his shit, I can handle one."

She nods and gives him a grateful smile. "See you there, my friend."

When she gets back to her rover and climbs in, Reynolds leans forward. "Ma'am, I don't know if I've ever been more thankful in my life. There aren't words to express it."

Alicia laughs softly. "No problem, Private."

Proving that they heard her talking to Malcolm and Guz, after a beat, Reilly says, "It might've been fun to watch you shoot him, though. Just putting that out there for the trip home, ma'am."

Trying to cling to at least a shred of professionalism, Alicia doesn't reply. She isn't, however, capable of fully hiding her smirk, and, if her light chuckle is any indication, it's clear that Reilly notices.

Alicia has to swallow hard to fight back the laughter, and eventually she gives up, snickering and saying, "I'll take that under advisement, Sergeant." She grins when she hears both Reynolds and Curran burst into laughter in the back. At least the last hour of this drive won't suck as much as the first three.

**WT**WT**WT**

Just over an hour later, they pull into the fenced in area of Outpost Four. Not all of the outposts are similarly protected yet, but some of the areas have creatures that demand it. It's not necessarily predators – some are just scavengers of shiny things, some like to eat the synthetic materials, and some just try to nest in and around the building because of the heat it gives off.

In this case, it's the latter. They found out about the nesting the hard way when an aggressive, very large herbivore mama raised her babies here two years ago. They were unable to get into this outpost for over six months.

They all pile out of the two rovers. "Guz, Curran, Reynolds, can you get the gear we don't need today into the outpost? Reilly, check and make sure our med kit is good to go. I'm going to check in with the colony." She turns to Malcolm and the other two soldiers. "Privates, you're on perimeter. Keep an eye on the area around the outpost. We'll be heading out shortly, and I need to know the area is clear."

They salute and give her a yes ma'am before heading for the fence line. She walks over to Malcolm. "Doctor Wallace, we'll be here for maybe half an hour. Take a break, get some water and food, and stay out of my way."

The scientist looks angry, she assumes from before. "I'll have you know, Lieutenant, that I'll be complaining to the commander about you and your behavior."

She rolls her eyes. "Doctor Wallace, I'll have _you _know that this is more than a test of your physical and survival capabilities. It's also a test of your character and leadership ability. On the latter, so far, you are failing. You can complain to the commander about me. His only reply will likely be to ask me why I didn't just cut to the chase and stun you. This is not a university or even private sector business where we'll kiss your ass because you happen to have a few letters after your name."

She pauses and approaches him, getting up in his face. "There isn't a predator here that will give two shits about how well you did in school. They won't ask you about your dissertation before chowing down. Now I suggest that you get your head out of your ass, and I suggest you do it quickly. Your performance here today and tonight will help to determine your role in the colony. What that ends up being is largely up to you, in that if you can't follow orders, quit bitching, and actually try to learn, then you likely can't lead. At least that's what my report will reflect." She spins on her heel and goes inside, hopeful that she won't have to confront him again.

Though many would be skeptical if she said so, she actually doesn't enjoy dressing people down. In particular, she doesn't like to have to do it to civilians. But she won't put her soldiers in danger because one arrogant scientist thinks he knows more than all of them because of his Ph.D.

She gets to the small communications room, enters and closes the door behind her. She powers up the equipment and opens a channel to the colony. "Terra Nova, this is Outpost Four, come in?" She waits a moment and repeats her call.

A few seconds later, a voice comes over the connection. "This is Terra Nova, go ahead."

"Lieutenant Washington checking in. Is the commander available?"

She hears a small shuffle, and then Nathaniel's voice comes on the line. "Wash?"

She smiles. "You were close by."

He chuckles. "I figured we'd be hearing from you." She hears a door close. "You alone?"

"Affirmative. You?"

"Yes, just kicked the sergeant out."

"I swear to God, Nathaniel, I nearly killed Wallace on the way here. That man is a raging pain in the ass." She snorts. "You'll likely be getting more bitching emails when we return."

She can hear the amusement in his voice. "What happened, Alicia?"

"He whined and complained for three solid hours. I finally stopped and made him ride with Guz. He didn't like that, so I kind of gave him two choices." She hesitates then.

"Do I want to know?" The amusement is even more pronounced now.

She sighs. "I told him he could either ride with Guz, or I'd stun him and he could stay with me."

He barks out a laugh. "That's better than I was expecting – I figured you told him ride with Guz or walk the rest of the way."

She grins, relieved that he isn't irritated with her for losing control a little. "Well, sir, it seemed somewhat _unethical _to just leave him there as nyko bait."

He laughs again, and then he becomes more serious. "Is he going to put you, Reynolds and Reilly in danger, Alicia? If you think he is, he's grounded, no questions asked. I'll not have him putting the rest of you at risk because he doesn't want to be there."

"I think I can handle him, Nathaniel. But I'll tell you the truth – as of right now, he's not doing anything to recommend him as a leader." She pauses. "I should go, we need to get started."

"Understood." His voice softens. "Be careful, Alicia."

She smiles. "Always am, Nathaniel. I love you."

"You too. Let us know if you need anything or have any trouble. Terra Nova out."

Alicia powers down the equipment and takes a deep breath, mustering what is left of her patience before heading back out into the main room of the outpost. When she gets there, Malcolm is on the couch, reading a plex with a disgruntled look on his face. The others, with the exception of the two young soldiers she put on fence duty, are waiting, and she sees Guz nod at Malcolm and give her a questioning look.

She just shrugs lightly in return. "OK everyone, time to get going. Guz, you and Curran will remain here with the two privates to be on call in case we need assistance for any reason."

She turns to Reilly and Reynolds. "You two go ahead and check the gear in the rover. Reilly, was the med kit stocked properly?"

The younger woman snaps to attention. "Ma'am, based on the protocol, we were short a suture kit. I snagged one from the supplies in the infirmary room here." Alicia gives her a knowing smile, and Reilly blinks for a moment. "That was a test, wasn't it ma'am?"

Alicia smirks a little. "It was, and you passed. Well done."

Reilly beams at the praise, and she and Reynolds go out to the rover to check the gear as directed. "Doctor Wallace, are you ready?" He sighs and gets to his feet, and Alicia just rolls her eyes. "By the way, if you're particularly fond of that plex, you might want to leave it here. We're getting wet today." Not waiting for his response, she turns on her heel and leaves.

She knows he's behind her when she hears his boots crunching on the gravel around the outpost. When they arrive at the rover, she addresses her three students. "Here's the agenda today. I'm going to take you through a few different things you might experience if you are, for lack of a better way to say it, on the dinner menu for a predator and running for your life. Today will be what might happen if you're trapped on foot. Tomorrow morning will be some driving drills. Any questions?" She looks straight at Malcolm with her last question.

Reilly and Reynolds both murmur their "no ma'ams" and step away. Alicia meets the irritated scientist's eyes, and she decides to give him an opportunity to redeem himself somewhat. "Doctor Wallace, I know you don't want to be here. But whether you agree or not, this is what the commander and I require of anyone who will be participating in OTG missions. This world is not safe, and you not knowing what to do if a ten foot tall, or God help you, _larger _predator is after you could endanger not only you, but my soldiers, kids like Reilly and Reynolds over there, or someone like Lieutenant Guzman, a single parent to a teenage daughter."

Malcolm colors lightly and looks at the ground. He doesn't say anything, so Alicia goes on, "I have no desire to spend the next twelve hours fighting you every step of the way, and you need to understand that this isn't just a 'check the box.' You have to participate and show me that you get it. If you can't do that, then you can't go OTG. It's that simple. I know that for your research, the ability to go OTG is vital. So it's time for you to decide – do you want to have the freedom you need, or…"

He holds up his hands. "Point made, Lieutenant. I'll try to tone it down."

She nods. "Thank you."

A few hours later, he's somewhat less amenable. They all, Alicia included, just finished jumping fully clothed off a low outcropping into water below. The exercise was meant to prepare them for how hard it can be to swim while clothed. They're now back at the rover, parked at a river a few clicks away from the outpost, all changed into dry clothes.

"Break time," Alicia announces, "Lunch is in the cooler in the back."

She chuckles when Reilly and Reynolds both cringe, both clearly concerned about what lunch will be. Reynolds grabs the cooler, and his face lights up when he opens it. "Sandwiches, ma'am?"

She smirks. "I made you eat bugs and grubs at the basic survival training. I figured you'd prefer a little smoked dino meat for lunch instead. But hey, there's a dead log. I'm sure there are grubs if that's what your little hearts desire."

Reynolds and Reilly grin and shake their heads, retreating with their sandwiches. To Alicia's surprise, there's even a small smile from Malcolm. He catches her looking at him, and he attempts to look sullen again. She lifts an eyebrow at him. "I saw that, Doc."

She grabs two of the sandwiches and brings one to him. He takes it, murmuring a thank you. He's leaning against the hood of the rover, and so she leans next to him. They both take bites of their sandwiches, and after a moment, Alicia says, "So, Doc, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here? It's pretty clear to me that you aren't all that outdoorsy."

He gives her a funny look, and then he looks around at the river and the trees. "You know, you're right. I'm not. But I think, had our world been safer and cleaner, like this," he pauses and smirks, "Though I know safe is a relative term, I might've been, as you put it, outdoorsy. I know I haven't been good at putting this forth, but this place, well, this _time _is amazing. I think I ended up a scientist because I could at least try to understand the way our world used to be."

Alicia blinks at him, a little surprised. He looks slightly defensive. "What?"

"Nothing. Let's just say my opinion of you just went up a tiny bit. You've still got a bit of a climb, though. You know that, right?"

He goes back to looking slightly sullen again before he sighs heavily. "I'm used to being in charge. In the department at my university, in the lab, in the classroom, I was the leader. I've also had almost zero experience with the military. I admit that you shocked me this morning, both by knowing who Alexander Pope is and by citing Frederick Douglass, who was brilliant by the way."

She stays quiet, not sure where he's going with this. He seems to catch that, and he goes on, "I'll try to be a little more accommodating in the future, Lieutenant. Try to be a little more respectful of procedure. But maybe you could stop threatening to shoot me?"

She snorts. "Don't piss me off anymore, Doc, and I won't want to shoot you." She picks up her sandwich wrapper and balls it up, taking his and doing the same. "And it's Wash, Doc."

"Lieutenant?" He looks confused.

"You can call me Wash if you want to."

He inclines his head, and she walks away to get ready for the next part of the training. "Load up, everyone. You're about to learn the basics of rappelling and basically how to throw yourself off a cliff and not die."

They all groan a little, but they pile into the rover. Alicia gets behind the wheel and takes them up into the hills, keeping an eye out for local wildlife. This area has generally not been populated by predators, but she knows that can change as hunting grounds get exhausted.

Reilly is riding shotgun again, and she has her pulse weapon out and powered. Alicia likes that she did that without being ordered to. She's run this training multiple times now, and it's always, miraculously, gone off without a hitch. That fact alone makes her wary. She knows it's irrational paranoia, but she just thinks they're due some bad luck.

They're actually riding parallel to the river, and the outcropping she's headed for is out over the water, just about fifty feet up. She pulls to a stop about thirty feet from the edge, and she gets out, motioning to the others to follow her, knowing they'll enjoy the view.

When the others approach, she hears quick intakes of breath from all of them. She smiles, remembering her own similar reaction when Nathaniel brought her here the first time. Below them, two rivers intersect, and the place where they cross is a deep, swirling pool. They've checked it out down below, and the water there is at least fifty feet deep. There is whitewater off in the direction taken by the newly joined rivers, tumbling and eddying over rocks and dips in the terrain.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She looks at Malcolm, who has come to a stop next to her.

"Incredible. Do we know the sources of the rivers?" He looks at her.

She shakes her head. "Honestly, we haven't had time to look. I'm sure they both start out higher up in the mountains."

She has to grin at the awed expression on his face and at the similar expressions on the faces of Reilly and Reynolds. She gives them a few more moments, and then she says, "OK guys, let's get this party started." She goes to the rover and pulls out her pack, which contains emergency supplies, climbing gear and her own personal med kit. She pulls out two sets of climbing lines, and she goes about setting them up.

The others watch her closely, listening as she explains what they're going to do. "If you're being chased by something that seems really intent on eating you, you're not going to have a lot of options. You can try a tree, but it's possible that the nykos and slashers can climb. If it's a carno, forget trees. Climbing a tree just makes it so that they don't have to bend over to catch dinner."

She pounds in the last line anchor and sits back on her heels. "If you're near a rock face like this one, we've found, yes, through personal experience, that the dinos aren't good on that kind of terrain. So, if you can get onto the face and down a bit, you might survive. There's not much outside of dumb luck that will help you survive if you really have to jump. What I'm going to show you is how to identify handholds in the rock, how to move along it, and how to get back up. I'll take you down below the edge one at a time."

They all nod, paying close attention. She looks at Reynolds. "You first, kid."

He swallows hard. "Me, ma'am?"

She lifts an eyebrow at him. "Harness up, Private. I'm going to as well, just watch what I do, and you do the same."

"Yes ma'am!"

It only takes a few minutes for the two of them to get into the harnesses. Alicia reaches into her pocket and pulls out her pair of fingerless leather gloves, something to protect her palms from the rope. She shoulders her pack on, always insistent on having it on her when possible. She checks her weapons, confirming that both her pulse pistol and conventional pistol are secure in their holsters. Then, she takes the two ropes and hooks one into each of their harnesses.

"Ma'am?" She looks up at the sound of Reynolds' voice. "Are there any extra gloves in the rover?"

Alicia nods and looks over at Malcolm and Reilly. "Can you two go find the bag of extra supplies and bring it over? We stay in pairs just in case."

"Yes ma'am!" Reilly turns and heads for the rover, Malcolm close behind her.

Reynolds goes to the edge and crouches down, and Alicia can hear Malcolm and Reilly rummaging in the rover. "This is really cool, ma'am."

Alicia smiles down at Reynolds, amused by his new found enthusiasm. She starts to reply when a sound from the tree line makes her freeze. She puts her hand on Reynolds' shoulder and squeezes, holding a finger to her lips when he looks up. She grabs her pulse pistol, powering it up as she scans the trees. She hears the sound again, and she reaches up and taps her comm. "Reilly, we've got a visitor. Don't know if it's friend or foe yet. You and Doctor Wallace stay at the rover."

Alicia hears Reilly's pistol power up over the comm. "Yes ma'am."

Silence reigns again, but only briefly. It's only a matter of seconds before the question of what it is gets an answer. A slasher bursts out of the trees, luckily – at least in Alicia's mind – towards Alicia and Reynolds. "Reynolds, gun!" She hits the comm again. "Reilly, get Doctor Wallace in the rover and go for the outpost! We're going to need help!"

"But Wash!" She hears Malcolm's voice over his own comm.

"It's a slasher, and there's always at least two. Go now, that's an order!"

The slasher stalks towards her and Reynolds, clearly believing that it has them trapped. Alicia breathes a sigh of relief when she hears the rover come to life and tear away through the trees. The slasher is getting closer to them, and Alicia is about to open fire when she hears Reynolds mutter, "Shit."

It's then that she realizes that the second slasher has emerged, approaching them just as ominously as the first. Time freezes, and then it races ahead, both of the slashers shrieking and heading straight for them. Alicia knows they can't fight these things off. She holsters her gun and turns to Reynolds, who has gone as still as a statue, his face a picture of horror and disbelief.

She knows they've got no time. Hoping that the ropes hold, she gives Reynolds a shove, toppling him backwards over the edge of the outcropping. He yells out in surprise as she follows him over the edge, leaping out into space, the outraged, angry shrieks of the slashers piercing her ears. She tries to keep her body loose, not wanting to be tensed too hard when she bounces at the end of her line.

She and Reynolds both fall about fifteen feet, landing hard against their harnesses. The line swings, and she bounces off of the rock face, gaining what's she is sure will be some very colorful bruises and scrapes in the process; at least her pack protects her back. Once she stops bouncing, she looks over at Reynolds. He looks equally beat up and a little dazed, leading her to believe that he bumped his head at least once.

"Kid, you OK?"

He blinks a few times before responding. "I think so, ma'am."

She nods, tapping her comm. "Reilly?"

"Yes ma'am, already getting closer to the outpost!" That explains the expected scratchy connection – the distance.

"Get there. We have at least two slashers…"

"Ma'am!" Reynolds' panicked voice makes her look over at him.

Her eyes widen in horror when she realizes that his line is bouncing. One of the slashers must be attacking it. Just as Alicia reaches for him, her hands just brush his as his rope snaps and he, with a yell, plummets towards the swirling water below, landing with a huge splash.

"Mark!" Alicia watches as he falls and surfaces, and she makes a split second decision. She can't leave him alone to the water. She pulls out her knife and says into the still-open comm line, "Reilly, one of the slashers cut Reynolds' line. I'm cutting my line and climbing down after him."

Alicia finds hand and footholds on the rock and, slicing through the end of her rope, she starts to climb down. "When you get to the outpost, have Guz, Lieutenant Guzman, radio the colony. Have him tell Commander Taylor to send a rescue team towards two rivers. He'll know what that means."

She only manages to descend about ten feet when her boots slip on the rocks, damp from the mist rising up off of the rivers. Her feet go out from under her, and she finds herself clinging to the rock face with her fingertips. "Damn it."

"Ma'am?"

"Reilly, did you copy all that?" She struggles to regain her footing, hearing yells from Reynolds below as she gets them back onto footholds.

"Yes ma'am. Two rivers."

"OK, then…shit!" Alicia thought she'd gotten secure, but her feet hit another wet spot, and this time she can't hold on.

She falls the last twenty feet to the water, angling herself into a position that will let her sustain minimal damage. As she falls, all she can hear is a stereo chorus of "ma'am" and "Wash" in her ear, fading to nothing when she hits the water's surface and goes under.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences. And here is the promised Mark/Wash bonding. : ) Probably just one more chapter after this one.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

Alicia plunges deep into the water of the converging rivers, keeping her eyes open and trained on the faint light above her. Kicking hard with her legs, she fights her way back up, struggling under the weight of her pack and assorted weaponry. Propelling herself upward with both her arms and legs, she breaks the surface seconds later, gasping for breath.

Relaxing a little, she dips back under the surface before bobbing up again, sputtering out the water she managed to breathe in. A strong hand encircles her upper right arm, and the extra support helps her keep her head above water.

"Lieutenant, are you OK?"

She blinks a few times and focuses on the voice. She coughs before answering. "I'm OK, Reynolds. Help me to the ledge over there." She indicates a rocky ledge above the water's surface.

The ledge is a few feet above the water; when they get to it, Reynolds says, "Ma'am, let me take the pack."

Normally, she'd argue, both with the idea and with the fact that it sounded a lot like an order. But right now, the pack feels like a thousand pounds of dead weight strapped to her back. She nods, shrugging out of it. He takes it from her and tosses it up onto the ledge. Relieved of the burden, she quickly finds handholds on the wall and scales it up to the ledge. She then leans down to Reynolds, offering him her hand. A moment later, they are both sprawled out on the ledge trying to catch their breath.

Eventually, Alicia drops her head back onto the rocks, closing her eyes. "Thanks for the assist, kid."

"You know, I'm not _that _young." He sounds exasperated, and she opens her eyes to look over at him.

She's amused, but she still lifts an eyebrow at him. He blinks a few times, and then realization dawns on his face and he quickly adds, "Ma'am!"

She chuckles, sitting up. "Really? Mark, I've read your jacket, remember? I know you're nineteen."

He grumbles a little, sitting up next to her. "Some of the other guys are barely _eighteen_."

Rolling her eyes, she deadpans, "My mistake. Oh dear, Methuselah, you appear to have misplaced your cane."

He snorts. "But you can't be more than, what, twenty-eight or twenty-nine?"

She gives him an incredulous look, sure that he's just sucking up now, but she's surprised to find his face entirely free of guile. She gives him a hard time anyway. "Flattery will get you nowhere, kid."

He blinks. "What do you mean?"

She stands, knowing that they need to see if anything in her pack is dry and to be on the lookout for more predators. "Let me put it to you this way – I was two years younger than you are when I joined up, and this year, I'll have been in for half of my life." She pulls out her pulse weapon, glad that it's designed to withstand getting wet. It powers up instantly when she hits the switch, so she powers it back down.

She suddenly realizes that Reynolds has gone silent. She looks down at him. "Mark?"

"You're almost thirty-four?" He looks stunned.

She nods. "I am."

He appears to be processing that, so she just lets him. She wants to be sure they're safe, and then she needs to check his head, which she's pretty sure he bumped. After looking around the area for a while, she decides that they're likely as safe here as they can hope to be. She hasn't told him yet that they're likely spending the night here. At least it's not the cold season, but even so, she's already cold from the wet clothes.

She crouches down, grabbing her soggy pack and dragging it closer. He seems to snap out of his surprise, saying, "Will anything in there be salvageable?"

She gives him a grin. "Right before we left 2142, Nath-, er, Commander Taylor and I, along with Guz, got new packs. They're almost entirely waterproof."

She unzips the pack and rummages in it for a moment before pulling out a man's t-shirt and socks. She hands them to Reynolds. "I don't have any pants that'll fit you, but you can at least put on a dry shirt and socks." She pulls out the last set of dry clothes she has, light sweats, a clean t-shirt, socks, underwear and sports bra. She looks at Reynolds and makes a twirling motion with her finger. "Turn around, kid."

He blushes and immediately complies. She starts changing, and she hears Reynolds swap his wet shirt for the dry one. In under three minutes, she's completely changed and a lot more comfortable. Her leather thigh holster is still damp, so she sets it out in the sun to dry along with her clothes and her boots. She grabs Reynolds' discarded wet shirt and socks and puts them in the sunny area too. She hopes they dry at least a little before the sun goes down.

She turns to him. "Move into the sun and stretch out your legs so your pants dry as much as possible before sunset." She watches as he complies, and then she asks, "Did you hit your head when you fell?" He appears to hesitate, and she huffs out a breath. "The truth, Mark. I need to know if I need to wake you up periodically overnight."

His eyes widen. "Overnight?"

She nods. "I know it seems like we're close to the outpost, but they'd have to drive down to a place where they can cross the river to get to us. Even if we had equipment to climb back up, given the slashers, I'm not interested in going back up there anytime soon. The colony, believe it or not, may actually be closer to us in terms of how long it would take for a team to get to us. As you learned from our earlier swim with Reilly and Doctor Wallace, it's damned deep. No way could a rover cross it. Now, again, did you hit your head?"

He reluctantly points at a place on the back of his head. She scoots over and examines it. "This isn't too bad. Nice goose egg, though." She gets in front of him, testing the reactiveness of his eyes. "Any nausea or dizziness? I know you were out of it briefly, but it didn't look like you lost consciousness. Is that right?"

He follows her finger back and forth with his eyes. "Right, I never blacked out. I've got a little headache right now and the bump is sore, but I don't feel nauseated or dizzy."

She sits back on her heels, eyeing him. She lifts an eyebrow. "So, no more 'ma'am'?"

He stiffens nervously, sitting up straighter. "I'm sorry Lieutenant. I didn't mean to…"

She holds up her hands. "Stop, kid. It's OK. I don't mind. Some days, it feels like I get ma'am-ed to death. I know Nath-," she stops, catching herself a second time, "The commander hates all the sir-ing after a while too."

Reynolds gives her a curious look. "That's the second time you almost called him by his first name. I take it you've known him a long time?"

Alicia gets wary, but she senses that Reynolds really is just curious. He also clearly hasn't heard any rumors about Nathaniel and herself, something she's happy to realize. "Almost as long as I've been in the military. He poached me from a medic tent when I was fresh out of training. Never looked back."

"So you've known him…"

"Sixteen years." Reynolds makes a humming sound, and she looks over at him, noticing that he looks thoughtful. "What?"

"He's going to flip out when they call in for help, isn't he?"

She starts to argue, but she decides it isn't worth it. Instead, she sighs and pulls her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Probably."

**WT**WT**WT**

"Son of a bitch!" Nathaniel's yell makes Reilly jump.

Guz doesn't twitch, but that's because he knew how Nathaniel would react when told of the slasher attack and the need to leave Alicia and Reynolds behind. "Sir, I'm sure they'll be fine. They're at two rivers. There are a lot of ledges out over the water there. Unless a carno finds them, they should be pretty safe, and we've never seen a carno in this area."

"Yes, well, Lieutenant, you'll have to excuse me if I don't take much comfort in that, seeing as we'd never seen slashers in that area before either. Reilly, you're dismissed." Nathaniel's voice is gruff when he barks the order.

Once the door opens and closes and Guz says it's clear, Nathaniel runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "Guz, will they be all right out there? No bullshit."

"Taylor, I really think they'll be fine. Grumpy and likely uncomfortable, but fine. And Wash had her pack on – you know she stocks that thing for Armageddon. Knowing her, they'll have a med kit, space blankets, rations and water purifier. Not to mention guns."

Guz sounds confident, but Nathaniel can hear a slight waver in his voice. Even though Nathaniel knows he's putting up a front, he appreciates the effort. "OK, Guz. At first light, load up and head home. I'll take a team out to get Reynolds and Alicia. We can get to them faster than you can."

"Agreed, sir. The rainy season has left the river even deeper than usual. We'd have to run downstream at least a couple of hours to get to them. Easier to stay on their side of it when you leave the colony."

"All right, Guz. You all get some rest. I'll see you when I get back with them tomorrow afternoon."

Guz hears the concern in his voice. "Yes sir. And she'll be OK, Taylor. She and the kid both will be OK."

"I'm sure you're right, Guz, but I, she…damn." Nathaniel runs his hand through his hair again. "I just wish we could raise them on comms."

"I know, and I do too. Just hold a good thought, sir."

"I will. Have a good night, Guz. Terra Nova out." Nathaniel ends the connection and leans back in his chair, a knot forming in his chest. He knows she's likely fine, but uncertainty isn't exactly his strong suit. He takes a deep breath and stands up, heading out to load up his pack and assemble a team to go get them in the morning. He knows sleep is unlikely tonight. He doesn't sleep well in general when she's OTG, but on nights like this, he knows it'll just be coffee and one of her books all night.

**WT**WT**WT**

"OK, Mark, time to rest." Alicia gives Reynolds a hard look. He's been fidgeting and pacing for the last two hours, and with his bumping his head, she wants him to settle down. The sun set a while ago, but the night is warm and balmy, even here above the fast moving water. "Why are you so anxious?"

He sits down, leaning back against the rock face. "It's my fault that we're stuck out here. Won't Commander Taylor be mad at me?"

She furrows her brow at him. "Mark, first and foremost, it is not your fault. How could it be?"

"I froze, ma'am." He hangs his head. "I froze at the sight of the slashers."

Understanding floods her. "Mark, look at me." When he doesn't respond or move, she repeats, "Mark, look at me. That's an order." He reluctantly looks up at that. "They're terrifying. They can kill you with one flick of the tail. And yes, this time, you froze. But next time you won't. Next time, you'll start shooting and keeping shooting until the bastard is dead. That simple."

"But…"

"You will, Mark. Believe that. Don't question it. Just know it."

"But there things out here that _will _beat us ma'am, pretty much no matter what we do. Isn't it arrogant to believe you can beat them all?" He cringes the moment the words are out, clearly knowing they sounded a little critical.

She snorts, waving off his concern. "What you have to believe is that you can do it, not that you're somehow invincible. You're right. There are things out here that will beat us ninety-nine times out of every one hundred. But if you aren't confident in yourself and your training and abilities, if you don't at least _try _to fight, those things will beat you one hundred times out of every one hundred."

"But the commander is still going to be pissed at me."

"Mark, the commander gets scared too. He's just as human and you and me. Don't let the guns and muscles and balcony speeches fool you." She pauses. "And my report will reflect that we had to jump."

"Wash, you don't have to do that!" His protest is immediate, and she lifts an amused eyebrow at his use of her nickname. "God. I'm sorry. Ma'am. I mean ma'am."

"Tell you what, Mark. For tonight, while we sit here, I'm Wash. It's easier." At his nod, she goes on, "And I'm not doing you a favor. It's the truth. Tactically, we didn't have a prayer. Our sonics, unless a direct blast at close range, won't kill the slashers. We might've pissed them off more and bought a few moments, but we were still going to have to go over the edge."

"But I thought you said we should try to win!" He looks genuinely confused.

"Mark, this isn't a land war. We're not trying to take territory from the dinos. It's survival. Today was a win because we're still alive and relatively unharmed. Remember that. When everyone involved is still alive at the end of a predator encounter? That's a win."

He nods, looking thoughtful. "I never looked at it that way."

She pulls some space blankets from her pack and hands him one along with some now-dry clothes to use as a pillow. "Get some sleep, Mark. I'll take the first watch."

"Yes ma'am." He spreads out his blanket and curls up on his side.

She keeps her gun handy, but she wraps up in her blanket and leans back against the rock face, tilting her head back to look up at the stars. It's still odd to her to see them so clearly. They were almost entirely obscured by smog and pollution back in the future. Not for the first time, she finds herself thinking of a few people, mainly her parents and Ayani, wishing they could've seen this.

"Wash?"

His soft word draws her from her reverie. "What's up, kid?"

"Why did you join up so young? Didn't you have to get special permission to join up at seventeen?"

She sighs, drawing her blanket tighter around herself. "My parents died early, my dad when I was just a kid, my mom when I was fourteen. I was on the streets but had some medical training, thanks to my mom. The military loves orphans, and orphans who can handle both sniper training and field medic training are apparently especially popular. They waived the requirement for a signature." For whatever reason, her usual reserve slips away, and her voice gets soft and sad. "I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Seemed like as good an idea as any. At least I'd have boots, meals and a bed."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't know, and I shouldn't be so nosy." He sounds embarrassed, and she looks down at him.

"It's OK, Mark. I don't mind being asked. Not many people do, and not many people know about my past. It's pretty much just Nathaniel." She pauses. "So, what made you want to come here and then join security?"

"I didn't really have anything to stay for. When my name came up, I figured what the hell. Nothing could have been worse than where we came from. And I was alone, too." He looks up at her, smiling sadly. "I volunteered for security because I didn't really want to swing a hammer or work in a field. I learned a little hand to hand and such in school, and I didn't hate it. Seemed like a good idea."

She nods. "You're a good fit for it, Mark. You impressed me from the start." He smile brightens at that. "I saw a mention of your grandfather in your jacket. Is he…"

His smile fades. "Gone, just before my name came up to go. I would've brought him, though. When I got the message, it said I could bring him. He just didn't live long enough." He drops his head back to his makeshift pillow. "I miss him, you know?"

Alicia's heart breaks a little for him. She suddenly realizes that she's getting attached to this kid. More interestingly, she realizes that it doesn't bother her. Maybe this is what it's like to have a younger sibling. She reaches down and squeezes his shoulder. "I do know. It's been almost twenty years, and I still miss my mom." She relaxes into the rocks and keeps her hand on his shoulder, the other on her gun. "Get some rest, Mark. I predict that a rescue team will be here not too long after sunrise."

"Yes ma'am." His reply is sleepy, and a moment later, she feels him relax under her hand.

After scanning the area around them, she decides that with the water of the wide rivers in three directions around them and the steep rock face behind, they are actually very safe here. With that knowledge, she allows herself to look back up at the stars. She sighs quietly, shifting slightly to stretch. She can feel the bumps and bruises from crashing against the wall and then into the rivers.

Taking her hand off of her gun for a moment, she reaches into her pack and comes back with two anti-inflammatory pain killers. She dry-swallows them before settling down again, her hand back on her gun. As she watches the night sky, she can't help but worry about Nathaniel. She hates that they are too far away from the outpost to be able to check in on comms, because she's sure not knowing if they're all right will keep Nathaniel awake tonight.

She knows that, despite the fact that it's not the wisest thing from a personnel perspective, he'll be leading the team that comes and collects them tomorrow morning. She's ashamed to admit that even though she logically knows he should stay behind, the idea that he probably won't makes her inordinately happy.

One other thought crosses her mind. She really hopes that Reilly got Malcolm safely back to the outpost. Perversely, she's glad they ran into the slashers. She's hopeful that the encounter will make the good doctor realize just how real the dangers are here.

In truth, it'll probably be best if he does come to that realization, if only because without her there to keep him in check, he might get obnoxious again. That would be bad because Guz really might shoot him. In spite of herself, she grins at that thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences.

SO sorry this took so long – work and the holidays have done me in free time-wise. And I lied. There'll be one more, an epilogue of sorts, and it'll be a little smutty…I may publish it as a separate story instead of as a fifth chapter, as it will change the rating.

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

Alicia jerks awake at the sound of a dino off in the distance. It's a cawing noise, one she recognizes as belonging to one of the herbivorous types. She blinks as she looks around, inwardly cursing herself for falling asleep. She shivers slightly, as the mist off of the rivers has left everything slightly damp.

It surprises her to realize that the sun is already rising in the east, just barely peeking above the horizon. Checking her watch, she sees that it's well after six a.m. She is relatively certain that Nathaniel is probably already on his way here.

She's still sitting up, her back against the rock wall and a blanket wrapped around her. Feeling something warm and heavy on her leg, she looks down, and she can't help but smile. During the night, Reynolds abandoned his makeshift pillow in favor of her upper thigh. Her hand still rests on him, now nearer to his elbow than his shoulder.

He looks so damned young when he's curled up on her like this, and she feels a wave of protectiveness wash over her. She can't remember ever getting so attached to a younger soldier before, but there's just something about the kid that pulls at her heartstrings. She knows it's at least in part due to their shared orphan status.

She also knows how hard it is to be on your own, and she has to admire the kid's courage in coming here entirely by himself. For her, the only reason she isn't alone is Nathaniel. She finds herself hoping for Mark to find someone himself, despite his youth.

She reaches down and pulls his blanket up higher around him, and she relaxes again, now fully awake, her eyes scanning the area for predators. She's not happy with herself for letting her guard down enough to go to sleep, but she also knows that they were and are pretty safe here. She'd managed to stay awake well into the night, and she hadn't seen anything during that time.

She rolls her neck, trying to stretch it out. As she shifts against the rocks, she winces as she feels every single bump and bruise she got when she bounced against the rocks and her harness. This time her movements rouse Reynolds, who stirs and then goes rigid as if he suddenly realized that he's using her as a pillow.

He jerks up into a sitting position, blinking and blushing hard. "Ma'am! I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me!"

She gives him a bemused grin at that. "Mark, seriously? Don't kill you?"

"The guys all told me you're a hard ass, and they also said that you shut down any guy who makes an advance." She lifts an eyebrow, and his eyes widen comically. "Oh God, why do I keep saying stupid shit? No, I wasn't making an advance. You're like my very scary older sister!" She can't help the amusement in her eyes at that, and she cocks her head and crosses her arms across her chest. He holds his hands up, blushing even harder. "Not that you're old! Or actually scary!" He stops and hangs his head. "On second thought, never mind. Just kill me."

Unable to suppress it, she starts to laugh. "Take it easy, soldier. I won't kill you, I know you weren't getting fresh, and I'm aware that I'm not that old. I am, however, pretty scary when I want to be."

"No arguments from me on that last thing." Reynolds mutters quietly as he stands and stretches, wincing as she had earlier.

She chuckles again. "How's your head, kid?"

He feels the bump on the back of his head. "Not bad. Still a little sore to the touch, but no real headache anymore. And damn, I am hungry for something other than a protein bar."

She nods and shakes two of the anti-inflammatory pain pills into her hand. "Good. Take these, they'll help with the soreness and the bruises. I hear you on being hungry. The bars'll keep you alive, but that's about it."

He takes the pills and dry-swallows them while looking around. She's about to say something when her comm, still in her ear, crackles to life. At first, the voice over the radio is garbled and unintelligible, but a moment later, it sounds again, still scratchy but now understandable. "Taylor to Washington, Wash, are you there? Reynolds?" She can hear the concern in his voice.

Alicia grins and taps her comm on, glad to realize that it actually survived being dunked. "Washington and Reynolds here, Commander." Reynolds reaches up and taps his on as well.

She has to smile at the sound of Nathaniel's audible sigh of relief. "What's your condition, Lieutenant? And how is the private?"

"We're both fine, sir. Just some bumps and bruises."

"What's your position, Wash?" His voice is back to normal, clearly more relaxed now that he knows she's all right.

Given the use of her nickname and ranks and his formal chain-of-command voice, she guesses that they're on an open channel and keeps it fairly formal herself. "Sir, we're on a ledge just above the water line at two rivers. We're almost directly over the convergence. I hope you brought a grappling gun and lines, Batman. Getting across the water is going to be a challenge without them. Swimming in this yesterday was pretty tough."

She hears the comm click, indicating what she guesses was a switch to a private channel. His words and the reduction in wind noise on the line bear that out. "Alicia, you fell in? Reilly wasn't sure what happened. Are you really all right?" He sounds concerned again.

She steps away from Reynolds. "I'm really all right, Nathaniel. I didn't fall far. I unhooked to climb down after Mark, and my boots slipped on the rocks. It was just too wet from all the mist coming up off of the water. We're still a little damp right now from the mist. A hot shower and some tea are definitely on my agenda for later today."

"Copy that, Lieutenant. You just let me know if you need company for the former."

She laughs softly. "I'll do that, Nathaniel." She hears a click again, knowing that their conversation is now public again. "What's your ETA, sir?"

"We should be there in less than half an hour, Lieutenant. You and the private sit tight until then. We'll come to you." His voice is once again formal.

"We'll be waiting, sir." She looks over at Reynolds and gives him a wink. "Hope you brought breakfast, Commander. I'm pretty sure we could both eat the north end out of a southbound carno at this point."

She grins when she hears laughter over the comms, from Nathaniel and from the others listening in on the connection. "We figured that, Lieutenant. We've got breakfast and coffee."

"Bless you, sir. See you soon."

"Yes you will. Make sure you're all packed up and ready to go, Lieutenant. Taylor out." She can still hear the laughter in his voice, and she chuckles, shaking her head.

She looks over at Reynolds. "OK, kid. Let's get everything back in the pack."

Ten minutes later, they have her pack repacked, with the only things left out being the small rock drill and bolt hammer Alicia has for setting clips in the rock face, rock anchors and carabiners and the straps they'll need to attach their harnesses to the line. Alicia has also changed back into her mostly dry fatigues and slipped her boots on. They're both sitting at the edge of the overhang, harnesses on and their legs dangling over the edge, when they hear the telltale sounds of vehicles crashing through the trees.

A moment later, a rover and a rhino emerge from the tree line and head up the river towards them, skidding to a stop at the convergence, on the bank directly across from their perch. She and Mark are a good ten to fifteen feet higher than the opposite bank, and Alicia guesses that the others will shoot a line across to let them clip in and let gravity take care of the rest. They've still got their harnesses from yesterday, so it should be pretty easy to almost zip line across the rapidly moving water.

Alicia is surprised at first to see the rhino. They have fewer of them than they do rovers, but she then realizes that Nathaniel and Guz had no idea if they'd need medical attention or not. Nathaniel climbs out from behind the wheel of the rover, and she sees one of the medics from the clinic climb out from the rhino, followed by Nurse Ogawa.

The group is filled in by a few of the younger soldiers, all in need of some OTG time. She smiles a little at that, and then she catches Nathaniel's eye. She can see him visibly relax at the sight of them, and she feels somewhat guilty again when it becomes obvious how worried he was about her and probably Reynolds as well.

She reaches up and taps her comm. "Good morning, sir. Any thoughts for how to get us across?" Her words are for the soldiers' benefit. She knows he wouldn't have come without a plan.

"You sure you don't want to swim, Lieutenant?" She can hear the teasing in his voice and chuckles from the soldiers and medical personnel, and she does her best to shoot him a glare from fifty feet away. He must be able to see it, because he holds up his hands in a conciliatory manner and then gestures to the soldier who'd been in the rover with him, another young guy named Dunham.

Dunham reaches into the back of the rover and comes back with a crossbow they modified a while ago for just this purpose. The bolt has a line attached to it, a strong, light nylon rope which will bear their weight. Nathaniel takes it and looks up at Alicia. She turns and briefly surveys the rock face. She then turns back, indicates a point on the rocks.

He nods and starts setting up his shot as Alicia herds Reynolds to the far edge away from the target Alicia indicated to Nathaniel. A moment later, the crossbow bolt with the line attached comes zipping over. It bounces off of the rocky face and drops to the surface of the ledge. Almost immediately, the weight of the line begins to pull it backwards towards the edge, down to the water.

Alicia is ready for that, and she lunges forward, catching the bolt before it can slide off of the ledge. She calls Reynolds over and hands him the line to hold. In minutes, she has three anchors set into the rocks and she attaches the line. At the other end, they have the line tied off on the rhino.

She clips some extra anchors and her drill and hammer to her harness, and then she uses a carabiner to clip her pack to the line. "We're sending the pack first, ma'am?"

Reynolds sounds a little puzzled, so she looks up at him. "I want to see how well the line holds. I haven't climbed here, and I don't know how well the anchors are going to hold in the rock. Based on what I can see of the rock composition, they should hold fine, but this place has surprised me before. Better to have the pack end up in the middle of the river than you or me."

He nods quickly as she sends the pack down to Nathaniel and the others. "Excellent plan, ma'am."

She snorts. "So glad you approve, Private." He looks freaked out again at his own words until he sees her smirking at him. She grins. "Gotcha."

The line holds steady for the pack, so she looks up at Reynolds. "You're next, kid." He opens his mouth to argue, but she holds her hand up, making him remain silent. "That's an order, Mark. First, it's my call. Period. Second, if the line gives at all under your weight, which is somewhat heavier than mine, I'm the one who knows how to reset the anchors. Now clip in and go."

"Yes ma'am." She can tell his acquiescence is reluctant, and while she finds it a little sweet, she's also internally rolling her eyes at her apparent acquisition of yet another overprotective male. She helps him clip in and checks his harness before waving at Nathaniel that Mark is coming down. He looks slightly disapproving – her _alpha _overprotective male – but she just gives him a hard look until he nods.

Reynolds steps off of the ledge and heads down, his long legs making his boots skim the surface of the water just before he reaches the opposite bank. Dunham catches him as he gets to shore. Mark gives her a wave that he's all right, and she turns and checks the anchors.

One of them is slightly loose, and she takes her hammer and taps it back in, pulling on it to test it. Satisfied that the line is solid, she turns back and clips her strap to the line. She pulls on her fingerless leather gloves, also dried after their dunk in the river yesterday. She looks down and sees that Nathaniel has taken Dunham's place.

She nods at him and he nods back, ready to catch her at the end of her descent. She steps off of the ledge, zipping down towards him. She relaxes her body as she nears him, and he catches her easily. She knows he's the one who wanted to catch her because it gives him the opportunity to hug her to him in front of the others without raising any questions about their relationship.

Seconds later, she collides with him. He stumbles back a few steps, but keeps his feet beneath them. As she guessed he would, he wraps his arms tight around her. In response, her arms instinctively wrap around him. He waits a beat before setting her on her feet, and she breathes an, "I'm OK," in his ear when he's holding her.

When he puts her down, she immediately steps back, mindful of their audience. She gives him a smile. "Nice catch, sir."

He snorts and the men around them chuckle. Gesturing to the rhino, he says, "Food's in the rhino. Grab some and a thermos of coffee for us. You're with me, Lieutenant, the rest can go in the rhino."

She nods, not surprised by his order. "Yes sir."

Less than five minutes later, they're underway. She's settled in the passenger seat of the rover, holding the thermos between her knees and munching on a muffin. Instead of trying to yell over the wind noise, he just opens a private channel for them to talk over comms. "How did Reynolds do?"

She smiles. "He did better than I expected. Struggled at first, but since it was his first time facing a predator, I'm all right with how he did."

He stiffens a little. "How did he struggle?"

She sighs at that. "Nathaniel…"

"Don't Nathaniel me, Alicia. You know I need to know."

"He froze, Nathaniel, at the sight of the slashers. But this was the best possible time for that to happen. We were going over the edge no matter what. We were cornered, and we had two sonics and my pistol. That was it. We were completely humped," she pauses but continues before he can say anything, "We already talked about it. He won't freeze again. I'd stake my life on it. And you know I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true."

"OK, Alicia. I'll trust you on this one."

She nods, relieved. "Thank you. One thing I figured out – we need to add something to the training. These kids seem to think that the only way to call a predator encounter a win is to kill the predator. I made it clear to Reynolds that all you have to do to 'win' is survive."

"Damn, it never occurred to me that they'd think otherwise." He shakes his head.

"I know. I think they all know our, yours, mine and Guz's that is, reputations as soldiers, taking territory and fighting land wars. They just are extrapolating that to fighting the dinos." She shrugs. "At least this particular mishap showed me a weakness in our training."

"Glass half-full, then?"

She shrugs again. "Better than half-empty." Tired from staying awake most of the night before, she snuggles down into the seat and closes her eyes. Before she drops off, she makes him chuckle softly when she mumbles, "Wake me up if we run into something that wants to eat us."  
They are blessedly predator-free for the drive home, at least she assumes so when Nathaniel nudges her awake when they're just a few minutes out from the gate. She sits up straighter, blinking, and as she stirs, she realizes that he covered her up with his jacket at some point.

She shoots him a questioning look, and he shrugs and gives her a sheepish smile before opening the private channel again. "You were all pulled in on yourself like you do when you're cold."

She smiles and shakes her head. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

They pull through the gate, and the rhino pulls in close behind them. Alicia hears Guz's voice yell at the guards to close the gate. She rolls her shoulders against the stiffness building in them and climbs out of the rover. She's surprised to see not just Guz, but Reilly, Curran and, most surprisingly, Malcolm standing there waiting for them. Reilly and Guz step forward first, Guz wrapping her up in a hug.

He steps back with a grin. "Glad you're all right, Wash." He nods at Reynolds, now emerged from the rhino. "And you even kept the FNG alive."

Alicia can hear the teasing note in Guz's voice, and she snorts. "Kid did OK, Guz." She looks over at Reynolds and gives him a smile.

He blushes lightly and looks down. "Thanks, ma'am."

She turns to Nurse Ogawa. "Did he admit that he hit his head yesterday?" Mark looks up again, his face actually looking somewhat betrayed. "Time to get checked out, kid."

He scowls a little, but then he straightens up when the nurse takes his arm. "Yes ma'am."

Laughing, Guz looks down at her. "What about you?"

She shakes her head. "Just bumps and bruises. I'll be fine after a shower."

Nathaniel nods. "Head home and get cleaned up. Come by the command center later to debrief."

"Yes sir." She gives him a mischievous look, one he returns.

Before she can say anything else, Malcolm steps forward. "Lieutenant, might I accompany you home? I'd like to speak with you."

She blinks in surprise and shares a quick look with Nathaniel, and then she nods. "Of course, Doc." She shoulders into her pack and heads for home, beckoning to Malcolm to join her.

As they walk, Malcolm is silent at first. Eventually, Alicia says, "Doc? You had something to say?"

"Yes. I wanted to apologize for my behavior. I don't think I really understood why the training was necessary until there were actual predators involved." He hangs his head slightly.

"Don't worry about it, Doc. Just, you know, try not to let it happen again. I'll give you a free pass this time, though."

He looks relieved. "Thank you, Lieutenant. And you can call me Malcolm."

"And I think I already told you to call me Wash." They arrive at her door. "This is me. Please excuse me, Malcolm. I'm tired and in desperate need of a hot shower."

"Wash, wait." He puts a hand on her arm.

She gives him a surprised look. "What else do you need, Malcolm?"

He suddenly looks exceedingly nervous. "I was wondering if you'd let me buy you a drink some time, a thank you for looking out for us."

"That's not necessary, but sure, Malcolm, I do sometimes go by Boylan's. You can feel free to pick up a round for me if you'd like." She gives him what she hopes is a cordial smile.

"Actually, I was really asking if I can come by and get you to take you out for a drink." He gives her a direct look.

"Oh." She's puzzled for a moment before understanding hits her and her eyes widen in surprise. "_Oh_. Malcolm, I'm very flattered. No. Thank you, but no."

"You don't date scientists?" The look he wears now is something of a wounded puppy look, and what she really wants to do is tell him she's already seeing someone, but she knows she can't because of the potential rumor mill.

She tries to think fast. "Not exactly, but I don't think it's a good idea to fraternize with people who I also have to protect." She hopes that will mollify him.

He sighs. "Understood." He pauses, his face going hopeful again. "Friends then? Maybe I'll even get you to change your mind."

"Don't count on the latter, but friends is fine by me." She gives him another smile, trying to be kind but really wanting to escape.

"Fair enough. I'll see you later then, Wash." He waves a little and head off towards his new lab.

She goes inside her house, dropping her pack by the front door and leaning heavily against it. She runs a hand through her hair and blows out a breath. "Next time Nathaniel's taking the newbies out."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Pre-Series, after the Fifth Pilgrimage. Set in the context of my other stories, a look at how Alicia and Mark became friends despite the age and rank differences.

As promised, here is the smutty epilogue. Sorry it took longer than intended! Real life is such a pain in the rear!

**Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.**

Alicia stands in the shower for close to half an hour, just letting the hot water sluice down her aching body. Looking in the mirror as she undressed, she could see the pattern of bruises on her hips and arms in particular. Only her back had been completely spared due to her pack.

As she stands there enjoying the feel of the water, her mind wanders to the drive home. Even though they'd been on a private channel and alone in the rover, Nathaniel had kept his emotions in check. He'd kept their conversation to an informal debriefing and little more. She's guessing that he might be less reserved when she sees him at the command center later.

After a few more minutes the water finally starts to cool a little, and she quickly washes her hair before shutting off the stream. She towel dries it and combs it out, deciding to let it air dry the rest of the way. She then puts on a sports bra, omitting her panties on purpose and with a slightly devilish grin, before slipping on a clean pair of fatigues and a t-shirt.

After pulling on her socks and boots, she puts on her thigh holster and slips her pulse pistol into it. She puts an extra hair band into her pocket but leaves her hair loose to let it dry properly. Once she's ready to go, she puts her comm in and radios Nathaniel. "Washington to Taylor, come in, please."

"This is Taylor. You all cleaned up, Lieutenant?" His use of her rank tells her he's not alone.

"I saw it's after one and was wondering if you'd eaten. Was going to come over for additional debrief, but should I pick up lunch for us on the way?"

"I'd appreciate that, Lieutenant. See you in twenty?"

"About that. Washington out." She taps her comm off and heads out, grabbing a small day pack but forgoing her jacket so she can enjoy the rest of the warm, sunny day. She has to swallow a smile at the strange looks she gets. Somewhere between the loose hair and the lack of her leather jacket, body armor and fingerless gloves, she can guess that she's surprising people. If nothing else, she knows that having her hair down and soft makes her seem more feminine to people, something she enjoys more than most would suspect.

She stops by a vendor in the market and picks up some sandwiches and fruit for the two of them for lunch. She stows the food in her small pack and turns for the command center. She ignores the looks she gets, outside of exchanging a wink with Guz.

He's talking with Malcolm and looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. The scientist stops talking long enough to stare at her for a moment, and she moves on without giving him a chance to engage her in conversation. The last thing she wants to do is encourage his fledgling crush on her.

She double-times it up the stairs when she gets to command, and she sees that the door to his office is partially open when she gets to it. Not hearing any voices, she guesses that he's alone again and pushes the door open. He's at his desk looking over a plex when she comes in, alone as she expected him to be.

"Hey." She gives him a smile when he looks up.

She closes the door behind her, and he is across the room to her in a few strides, arms wrapping tight around her as he pulls her to him. He buries his face in the fall of her hair and takes a deep breath. "I didn't know if you were all right."

She knows that he'd been holding that in since this morning, and she just hugs him back in return. "I'm sorry. We lost contact with Reilly once she got too far away from us, which didn't take long with a rock face between us. Maybe we can task Doctor Wallace with boosting our comm signals."

"Good idea." He pulls back slightly and captures her lips with his, threading his fingers into her hair as he increases the pressure. She opens her mouth and their tongues meet, unusually gentle for them, seeking more intimacy than dominance.

When they break apart over a minute later, they're both breathing hard. He presses his forehead to hers, keeping his eyes closed and his hand tangled in her hair. "I really don't do well when I don't know if you're all right." His voice is soft and vulnerable, a side of him that she alone is allowed to see.

She leans up and gently bumps his nose with hers. "I know. I'm the same way when it's you out there."

He opens his eyes to meet her gaze, and then he leans up and kisses her forehead. He chuckles. "You know, if anyone ever finds out what softies we both really are, it's going to totally blow our images."

She grins. "Eh, if anyone ever tries to give either of us crap over it, we can just threaten them with an ass-kicking," she pauses, looking thoughtful, "Except Guz. He already knows we're saps, so at least we know we don't have to kick _his _ass."

He laughs and steps away from her, taking her hand and walking them over to the conference table where she works when they're both here in the office. "You mentioned lunch?"

She nods and sets her pack down on the table before unpacking their food. They talk a little more about the mishaps from the training run while they eat, until finally Nathaniel asks, "So what did Doctor Wallace want to discuss with you earlier?"

She sighs a little and puts her sandwich down. "He wanted to apologize to me again for how he acted during the training, and well, he…" She hesitates, not wanting to make a big deal out of his asking her out.

"And what?" Nathaniel cocks his head at her, a curious look on his face.

"He apparently has something of a crush on me."

He lifts an eyebrow. "Didn't you actually threaten to shoot him yesterday?"

"I did. No accounting for what can turn people on." She rolls her eyes.

"So how did you discern that he has this crush on you?"

"It wasn't particularly difficult to identify, Nathaniel. He asked me out."

He chokes on a piece of fruit. As she pats him on the back, he gets a murderous look on his face. "You don't have to shoot him. I'll do it."

She rolls her eyes again. "Down boy. I did my best to let him down easy. I basically told him that I don't date the people I have to protect. He accepted it with some level of grace, though I'm guessing I might have to turn him down a few more times before he gives up." He grumbles something, and she nudges him. "What was that, Commander?"

He clears his throat. "You could've just said you're taken."

She gives him an incredulous look. "Right, Nathaniel. Because that wouldn't set the rumor mill on fire." He frowns, and she puts a hand on his arm. "You know I can't say that. You know it's too big of a risk. We can't afford to have people find out about us."

"I know. I just don't like the idea of him sniffing around you. I just wish there was some way to safely make it clear that you are _not _available."

She laughs and offers, "Maybe if you mounted my leg in the market or something? That might scare him off."

"Smart ass."

She grins and leans over to kiss his cheek. "Yes. I believe you've pointed that out before."

As she's leaned towards him, his hand snakes out, wrapping around the back of her neck and holding her in place. He turns his head and crushes his lips to hers. She makes a small noise of surprise before kissing him back. Given their conversation, she's not at all surprised that this kiss is aggressive, as if he's showing her exactly who she belongs to.

He roughly pulls her close to him, and what remains of their lunch is quickly forgotten. His hands slide down her body, pausing at her breasts for him to rub his thumbs over their already-rigid peaks, the sensitivity making her gasp lightly through the kiss. He then continues downward, his hands sliding over the curves of her hips and ass to settle at the back of her upper thighs.

Guessing what he's doing, she wraps her arms around his neck and presses herself to him. He grips her thighs and stands, easily lifting her up with him. He doesn't take them far, just shifts over away from their food to sit her on the edge of the table. He ends up standing between her legs, which she promptly wraps around him, pulling him closer to her.

A moment later he pulls back, untucks her t-shirt and whips it over her head, taking her sports bra with it. Tossing them away, he looks at her with a nearly feral glint in his eye. It might make some women nervous, but in her case it just makes her use her legs to pull him tighter against her.

He starts to move towards her, and she makes a little sound of disapproval. Knowing her well, he snorts and removes his shoulder holster and puts it on the table before pulling his own t-shirt off and tossing it in the same direction as hers. She nods in appreciation, reaching up and putting her hands on his chest, scratching lightly at his skin with her nails before sliding her fingertips down his arms, nails tracing the muscles.

Her hands on him makes him close his eyes for a moment. Then, he opens his eyes and growls softly before swooping down and dropping his lips to her neck, using one hand on the back of her head to hold her in place. His beard scratches along her skin as he nips and sucks lightly, moving down the column of her neck to her shoulder. As his mouth slips below her collarbone, the force of the suction increases.

A few moments later, he nips at the now-abused and bruising skin before looking up at her, possession in his gaze. "_Mine._" She laughs softly, shaking her head. He grins and then ducks his head again, kissing the spot gently before impatiently moving down to her breasts, taking one of the hardened peaks into his mouth, nipping at it and making her grip his arms tight. She closes her eyes and lets her head drop back as she squeezes her legs around him again.

He reaches down and removes her thigh holster, putting it to the side. His hands then slip down to her waist, making quick work of her belt. He's starting to pull her fatigues down when she unwraps her legs from around him, making him abandon her breasts to look up at her. He gives her a questioning look, and she nods towards her feet. His eyes follow hers, and he grins, stepping backwards to unlace and pull off her boots and socks. "Anything else?"

She lifts her legs and, resting her heels on his ass, uses them to pull him back to her. "I'm pretty sure you can sort the rest out on your own."

He laughs and his hands go back to the edge of her fatigues. He begins to push them down, and she feels his fingertips seeking the edge of her panties. He looks puzzled for a moment before realization lights his eyes. His hands abandon the edge of her fatigues, slipping under them to cup her bare ass. "Jesus, Alicia."

She gives him a saucy look and leans up to kiss, their tongues tangling together again. They're briefly lost in each other, so much so that neither of them notices right away when footsteps sound on the stairs of the command center. They both finally notice at the same moment, when the sound of two pairs of boots reach them from right outside the door to the office.

As two voices murmur to each other, they abruptly pull apart. He frowns. "Shit. Did you lock the door?"

Her eyes widen. "No." Instead of knocking, one of the people outside just opens the door, so she wraps her arms around his neck and Nathaniel uses his hands on her ass to lift her and turn them so his back is to the door, shielding her mostly-naked body with his own from whoever is coming in.

"Commander! A word?" The voice belongs to Malcolm, and she drops her arms. It's obvious a moment later when the scientist realizes what he walked in on. "Oh my God." He then clearly spots Alicia's black hair over one of Nathaniel's shoulders. "Wash?"

A second voice sounds. "Commander, Wash, I'm sorry, I tried to stop him when the door was closed," amusement is apparent in Guz's voice, "Of course he'll probably never come in here without knocking again."

Snorting, Nathaniel shakes his head, looking down and meeting her eyes. She can't help the laugh that escapes. She wraps her arms around his neck again and pushes up on her toes to look at Malcolm over Nathaniel's shoulder. "So, Doc, as you can see, there's another reason I said no earlier. Now do you guys mind? We were kind of in the middle of something."

Guz barks out a laugh at that, and Malcolm flushes a deep crimson. As the rattled scientist tries to sputter out a reply, Guz, still chuckling, takes him by the shoulders and turns him towards the door, propelling him forward. "This way, Doc." He turns back towards them briefly. "Sir, Wash, as you were. But try to remember to lock the door next time."

In unison, they yell, "Shut up, Guz."

They can still hear his laughter as he closes the door behind him. A second later, they hear the distinct sound of the lock turning when Guz uses his key from the outside. Alicia drops her head to Nathaniel's shoulder. "Damn, I'm going to have to go talk to Malcolm. You know that, right?"

His hands slide back to her naked backside to push her fatigues down. She steps out of them, and he lifts her up to sit her back on the table. "Why?"

"Nathaniel," she tries to concentrate as he lowers his head back to her neck and one of his hands finds her breasts again while the other moves to delve down between her legs, testing how wet she is with two long fingers and rubbing his thumb against her clit. She gasps a little before adding, her voice breathy, "I have to make sure he doesn't tell anyone else. Guz'll talk to him, but I need to follow up."

Her own hands find their way to his belt, undoing it before using her feet to push his fatigues and boxers off of his hips and down his legs. She wraps one hand around his already rock-hard length, making him press his face into her neck to suppress a groan. He finally mumbles, "Fine, but if he asks you out again, I'm sending him to an outpost."

He removes his hands from her body and swats her hand away from him before dragging her to the edge of the table and burying himself inside her with one strong thrust. She lets her upper body drop to the table as her legs wrap tight around him again. He leans forward, and he pulls out almost completely before thrusting home again, hard enough to make her have to bite her lip to keep from moaning too loudly. He repeats the action, and then he hovers over her, stilling his movements.

She opens her eyes to meet his, and he withdraws and thrusts in again. "And I do mean I'll send him out there permanently." She grins at that and then moans again as he starts a pounding rhythm. He wraps his hands around her hips to keep her from moving across the table from the force of his thrusts.

She tries to gain purchase on the table with her hands, but after scrabbling about for a few moments, she just gives up and lets him have his way with her, arching up to meet each brutal thrust, enjoying his possessive streak far more than she'll ever really let him know. He shifts slightly, and the new angle helps him hit the spot inside her that drives her crazy. She raises one arm to her mouth in an attempt to muffle the cries he's getting from her with every thrust.

Pressure coils deep inside her belly as his thrusts intensify and begin to become erratic. After just a few more pushes, she cries out so loud that she's afraid one of the guards downstairs might try to come check on them. As she rides out the wave of her orgasm, she feels him tense, and he moves forward, taking his weight on one arm as he leans down to press his lips to hers, his own shout of completion swallowed up by their kiss.

He continues to thrust through his own climax, until he's finally still, his upper body nearly collapsed on hers. Their kiss becomes lazy and gentle, making her smile against his mouth. Her legs drop from around his waist to drape bonelessly over the edge of the table. He pushes himself back up on his forearm a moment later.

She smiles up at him. "You know, Guz was right. We really need to remember to lock the door. If someone like Reynolds ever walks in on us, the poor kid might actually have a heart attack. And we'd never hear the end of it from Tom if he's the one who catches us."

He snorts and straightens up, offering her his hand to help her sit up. She takes it, letting him pull her, and a moment later, she's sitting on the edge of the table again. She hops off of it and grabs her fatigues from the floor, pulling them up before hunting for her bra and t-shirt.

A couple of minutes later, they're both dressed again. She walks over to the small bathroom attached to the office and dampens a rag, which she uses to wipe the table down as he cleans up their abandoned lunch. He gives her a funny look, and she rolls her eyes. "We _eat _at this table, Nathaniel. Often. And it's…sticky."

He just laughs and shakes his head. "And here I thought you weren't squeamish."

He laughs even harder when the rag she was using to clean the table hits him in the head. "And just for that, my silver-haired caveman, I'm now going to go talk to Malcolm." She turns for the door.

Grabbing her wrist, he spins her back into him, where he surprises her with a gentle kiss. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" She looks up and is taken aback to see actual concern in his gaze.

She shakes her head and reaches up, running her hand through his hair and then cupping his cheek in her palm. "No. You didn't, Nathaniel. I promise."

He nods. "Good. You know I never want to hurt you, right? That I just lose my head a little over the idea of another man so much as looking at you?"

"I know." She gives him a soft smile. "Just like I'd lose mine if another woman tried to make a move on you."

He looks alarmed. "You know I'd never…"

She kisses him. "I know. And neither would I. I trust you, Nathaniel, just like I know you trust me."

He kisses her back. "Good. And you're right. I do trust you. This today wasn't about anything other than my irritation that we can't just say back off, we're both taken."

"I know." She smiles again. "Now I really do need to go talk to Malcolm, Nathaniel."

He grumbles. "All right." Then, he brightens. "Dinner tonight? You bought lunch, so I'll buy something and bring it over?"

"Sounds good. I have wine." She leans up and kisses him again. "I'll see you later."

"Don't worry about coming back here. I know you're tired. Take the rest of the day." She begins to argue, but he waves her off. "Consider it an order if necessary, Alicia. Give yourself a break."

Knowing he's right, that's she definitely worn out, she nods. "OK. I love you, you know."

He gives her a crooked half-smile. "I love you too. Now go talk to Malcolm, and I'll see you tonight."

"Can't wait." She pulls away and smacks him on the rear. "And I owe you a hickey, by the way."

He laughs. "I know. I'm looking forward to getting all square on that."

"I bet you are." She gives him an evil grin. "Now I just have to think about where I want to put it. I have a few ideas. Why don't you spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about what I have in mind." He reaches for her at that, but she just dances away from him with a laugh. She leers at him and then leaves, giving her hips just a little more sway than usual.

She laughs out loud when, as she's descending the stairs, she hears him grouse. "Great. Now how the hell am I supposed to get any work done?"


End file.
